**Can You Hear Me Now?
Why Leaders Fail When They Assume—and What Real Leadership Looks Like**
Every organization says it wants innovation, honesty, and people who “think like leaders.” But when an employee finally musters the courage to bring concerns about workflow, bottlenecks, or leadership effectiveness, the moment becomes a test—not just for the employee, but for the manager.
And far too often, managers fail that test.
The Cost of Assumptions
When a team member steps forward with observations, improvement ideas, or system-level concerns, the manager has two ways to interpret it:
1. The insecure interpretation:
“They’re challenging me… They want my job… They’re undermining my authority…”
2. The leadership interpretation:
“This person cares. They see what I might not. They want to make us better.”
The danger comes when managers default to the first interpretation—assumption instead of curiosity.
Assumptions shut down communication. They create fear. They tell employees, “Don’t speak up here.”
And once your organization reaches that point, your biggest problems aren’t your workflows—they’re cultural.
When Someone Brings Solutions, Pay Attention
Not every employee raises their hand.
Not every employee thinks about processes beyond their desk.
Not every employee feels responsible for the health of the system.
So when someone actually does—
When they bring solutions instead of complaints…
When they show initiative instead of passivity…
When they risk being misunderstood because they genuinely want to help…
That is not a threat.
That is the definition of leadership potential.
This is someone who refuses to be “just a good soldier.”
Someone who wants to contribute, build, improve, and push the organization forward.
Someone who is willing to do more than their job description because they care about the mission.
If you shut that person down, you’re not protecting your leadership position—you’re proving you’re not ready to lead.
Managers Who Don’t Want to Grow Create Stagnation
Here’s a hard truth many managers avoid:
If you want to grow into higher roles, you should be identifying and building the people who could replace you.
If you don’t want to grow, and don’t want anyone beneath you to grow either?
You’re no longer managing—you’re gatekeeping.
A manager who feels threatened by talented subordinates is telling the organization one thing:
“I have no intention of rising, improving, or evolving—and I don’t want anyone else to, either.”
That mindset kills innovation.
It drives away high performers.
And it guarantees the company will stay stuck.
Real Leaders Don’t Fear Strong People
Real leaders welcome capable, ambitious, solution-oriented employees.
Why?
Because they know something insecure managers never understand:
Strong teams make strong leaders.
Weak teams make insecure leaders feel safe.
A leader worth following wants the people under them to succeed—because their success is the leader’s legacy.
The Question Every Manager Should Ask
When a team member comes to you with concerns, ideas, or process improvements, pause and ask yourself:
Am I assuming a threat?
Or am I recognizing a leader?
One answer shuts your team down.
The other lifts your organization up.
